Your Eyes
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Emma's memory is wiped but she keeps dreaming about Regina's eyes when she said goodbye. In an au where Emma meets Regina without her memories, it's those dreams that pull her closer and eventually remember – archeomedic
1. Chapter 1

_Emma's memory is wiped but she keeps dreaming about Regina's eyes when she said goodbye. In an au where Emma meets Regina without her memories, it's those dreams that pull her closer and eventually remember – archeomedic_

_Thanks for the prompt and I hope you like what I did with it. I'm thinking it will have about four chapters but I'm not sure exactly yet. I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes and I hope you enjoy :) _

The air is cold around them. The wind whips up their hair and stings their eyes. On any ordinary day they could blame the weather for their tears. Not today. Today the chill of fear rises from an oncoming green cloud threatening to destroy them all. On this grey afternoon the tears are of imminent loss.

Emma looks around at the gathered people knowing she will never see them again. Her heart aches in her chest at that realisation. She barely knows some of them but even with the ones she's only met once she knows their names. She can't say the same for any other places she's lived in.

She pulls away from her mother reluctantly. It took so long for her to accept Snow and Charming as her parents and she wishes she had done sooner. Now once again they're being ripped away from each other and Emma would give anything to go back in time and get to know them better. Snow cups her face committing her to memory, soon it will be all she has left.

Emma moves away feeling the tears burning in her eyes as she stands to the side and watches Henry say goodbye to his Mom.

"You're not a villain, you're my Mom."

Henry's reassurance floats in the air and she can see Regina's pained smile. She wishes Henry had realised it sooner. She knows Regina does too. There's a lot they all wish they had known sooner. So much time was wasted in hate and vengeance. She can see it in Regina's eyes, the pain, the regret and the haunted sorrow of knowing that in order to save her son she must give him up.

Henry breaks away to say goodbye to his father and Emma steps up to Regina. It seems natural to be close to the other woman. Across the past three years they've grown closer and closer and Emma fears this will be the last time she sees Regina. If this is the last moment then it needs to be close and intimate and one they keep.

Emma has a lot of regrets. One of which is that she never got the chance to sit down and figure out exactly what she feels for Regina. She knows there's been chances but never long enough. Regina is a puzzle to her and in spite of the bad blood between her parents and Regina in the past Emma has longed to be the one that Regina breaks down her walls for. She's seen glimmers and flickers of who Regina is in her eyes but Emma wants more. She wishes they could have had more. They've only just become friends and Emma felt that maybe they might be on the precipice of finally being family.

She wonders why she and Regina both seem to be destined to be ripped away from their homes and families.

She meets Regina's eyes as Regina tells her she will not remember. Her heart breaks in those moments and she doesn't want it to be true. She wants to remember. Everything. Anything at all. Tears roll down her cheeks as she realises the gravity of the gift Regina is giving her. She's giving her the life Emma thought she wanted – a simple one where she and Henry could live normal lives. As she looks into Regina's eyes she realises she never wanted it all. She wanted what was best for Henry and she knows that's living with both of them, being a family and she wishes with all her heart they didn't have to leave.

She wishes she would still remember.

She focuses on Regina. She feels Regina take her hands but Emma only looks down for a moment before she goes back to Regina's face. Emma looks in Regina's eyes for several moments wishing she could ease her pain. For a second she considers confessing the truth but she knows it would be cruel to tell that secret then disappear.

Regina releases her and with a teary gaze turns away. Emma sniffs back a sob before she walks over to Henry. She looks back once before she climbs into the car. Emma's eyes flick up to the mirror in the hopes of catching another glimpse but the curse is catching up fast. With another stifled sob she drives away as the image of Regina's eyes haunts her.

* * *

(A Year Later)

_Emma cannot see the rest of the woman's face. She only ever sees the eyes. They're a beautiful burnt caramel and Emma can read so much in them. Once again what Emma sees most in them is sadness. It hurts but she doesn't know why. Emma yearns to reach out and ease that sadness away but she can't. She doesn't know the cause of it. She doesn't know how to cure it and for some reason those thoughts make her heart ache even more. _

_Emma tries to move away but she can't. She stays fixated on those captivating eyes. Emma cannot pull herself away from the haunting sight of those eyes shimmering with barely kept in tears and wearing the heavy mask of sorrow. They speak to Emma of impending loss and pain. She wishes she could take that pain away. _

_Who are you? Emma asks herself. She never knows. She just knows that whoever these eyes belong to is important. Why else would they continue to haunt her so? She just wishes she knew what they were trying to tell her. _

Another night and another dream. It's always the same one. It never last long and Emma has no idea where it comes from. Emma sits up in her bed with a sigh. She rubs her own eyes and like she has every morning for the past year Emma thinks about the eyes from her dream. She cannot escape them. Every night she falls asleep and all she sees are those pain-stricken haunted eyes. She sees the tears fighting so hard not to fall and wonders why they won't.

Emma wishes she knew who those eyes belonged to. She doesn't know whose they are but she knows she would give anything to soothe their anguish. Emma wants to find the owner of those eyes and make them shine with happiness rather than sorrow.

* * *

Emma wonders why she agreed to this. A man bedecked in full pirate gear showed up at her door yesterday and tried to kiss her. Understandably Emma kneed him in the groin and made sure he left. Unfortunately her day only got stranger. The same pirate decided to follow her around the city until he cornered her in the park. He claimed to know her family and that they were in danger.

Bullshit of course because all the family Emma has is Henry and he certainly wasn't in any danger.

After she told him that he offered her a potion claiming it would help her remember. She was suspicious because who wouldn't be when offered a potion by a stalker? So, Emma threw it to the ground much to his dismay. His horror was what told him that he really did know her. She just doesn't know him.

_Killian Jones_ she thinks, _or Hook_ she adds with a snicker as she remembers the man revealing his nickname. It doesn't seem at all familiar.

Then he told her about a family in Storybrooke and something clicked. She doesn't know why but when he said 'Storybrooke' she had a flash of the eyes that haunt her dreams. It might seem crazy to pack up her son and head to a town she doesn't know over a dream but she has to. Emma has to find out what is behind her dreams.

So she takes a chance on Storybrooke and tells Henry they're going on a trip. He doesn't mind because it means a few days away from school and seeing a new place. He always does love an adventure.

The pirate takes her to a quaint B&B. It's a nice enough place but nothing is triggering a memory or giving her any clarity. None of this makes sense.

Tonight an old woman who she's never met in her life called her 'Emma'. It freaks her out. The woman's granddaughter also acted like she knew her and Emma's wondering if this is some kind of practical joke. If it is it's not a funny one.

The next morning she heads to the Diner because apparently it is the place to go. It's been a strange morning. Even stranger than yesterday. Today as her and Henry walked to the Diner a couple ran up and hugged her. Emma backed away as Henry gave them a curious look. The woman is a petite brunette with cropped hair. She's also heavily pregnant. She looks at Emma with hope before seeing that Emma has no idea who she is. At that she becomes crestfallen and apologises before her husband and her move away.

"That was weird," Henry says as they walk into the Diner.

"I know," Emma replies, "What the hell is with this town?"

"Maybe they're all just really friendly?" Henry suggests.

"There's friendly and then there's creepy," Emma points out, "Like how do they all know our names and why do they act like they know us when we've never been here?"

"Well you said you moved around a lot as a kid – maybe you stayed here once and just forgot about it?"

She shakes her head, "No I remember all of my places kid."

He shrugs, "Well if it's so suspicious why did you agree to come here?"

Emma sighs, "I don't know. There was just something about the name Storybrooke that seemed familiar. Call it a whim."

He laughs, "You are so not a whim person but okay. I guess we'll figure it out while we stay here."

Emma doesn't reply because they're both distracted by a mug crashing to the floor. Emma looks up from the broken ceramic to see a gorgeous brunette in a smart dress gaping at her. The woman's face is a mix of shock and heartbreak but after a moment she recovers. "I-I'm sorry," she stammers, "I didn't mean to startle you."

Henry shrugs, "It's okay," he says before moving off to the bar to look at the drink's menu. Emma doesn't follow them. She's staring at the woman. She sees this woman examining her before sadness washes over her face as Emma merely looks at her. It's a split second but Emma can see the fresh heartache painting her features. The woman looks down at the shards at her feet before bending to pick them up.

"Let me help," Emma offers before kneeling down and grabbing what looks like a handle.

"Thank you," the other woman replies. In that moment they both look up and Emma gasps. Staring at her are eyes she knows all too well. They're the exact same shade of caramel. Emma can see the emotions flickering over them and she sees the pain she's seen for too long. As she stares at the eyes that have haunted her for so long a name echoes through her head.

"Regina."

_Always happy to know what you think and thank you for reading :) _


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to the response to this fic so far. I hope you like this second chapter. Apologies for any mistakes. I don't own Once or its characters. Thanks again to archeomedic for the prompt. Hope you enjoy :) _

Regina looks up at the sound of her name spilling from Emma's lips. At first she freezes wondering if she should dare hope. Seeing Henry's face devoid of recognition was enough to shatter her heart. Being without him was a fate worse than any she could have imagined but being around him without him knowing who she is, is just another level of devastating. Seeing his face when he saw her was crushing.

She thought Emma might remember. In spite of her curse she hopes Emma might know something. Why else would they come? Regina has always felt a pull towards Emma and in her absence she realised what she had not even admitted to herself. She woke up in a Storybrooke without Emma and Henry was unbearable and Regina knew it wasn't just because of Henry. Her thoughts kept drifting to her son's other mother, of the life they might be living and whether or not Emma missed her – if she even knew to miss her.

Emma's voice saying her name hits home for a moment. She doesn't want to say anything and lose this second of hope. She doesn't want to know that Emma doesn't know her. Regina doesn't know how she's going to get her son to remember and she dreads the thought of going through it alone. No matter what though she will help them remember. She needs them to because they are her family.

She needs Emma to wake up so she can tell her all the things she never knew she needed to.

Regina knows sooner or later she will have to ask the question. She will have to shatter this moment of hope but it doesn't mean she has to like it. She can wait it out for a few more seconds and cling onto the hope that Emma, her Emma is here. It's strange to think of her as her Emma because technically she wasn't though Regina had hope one day she would be. She still does. It's even stranger to think that there's a new Emma with new memories and a new life that Regina is not a part of, no matter how desperately she wishes she was.

She knows that even if Emma doesn't remember she still needs to be a part of Emma's and Henry's world. Regina hates not being in their lives and whether they remember or not she loves them and she needs them to at least know who she is even if it's heartbreaking, even if it's not the reality Regina needs it to be.

Regina focuses on the smooth piece of ceramic in her hand. She can feel now cold coffee dripping from its sharp edges. It slices into her palm a little as her fingers form a fist. They do so to try and keep her in this moment with Emma. There's blood dripping down her hand but she doesn't notice. She just keeps looking at Emma. Regina knows she must look crazy and it might be creeping Emma out but she just can't think of a way to let go.

"Hey you're bleeding," Emma says quickly uncurling Regina's fist and removing the mug shard. "Why don't we get you cleaned up? Is there somewhere here to do that?"

The second question is the one that shatters any illusion Regina has about Emma remembering and them being able to team up and help Henry together. This Emma is not one she can spill her heavily guarded secret of love. This Emma is not the one who stuck with her through thick and thin, who helped her believe in herself and helped her kick ass in Neverland. This is not the Emma she grew to love but a different version who lived a life free of fairytales in another place. Regina shuts her eyes and lets a treacherous tear roll down her cheek,

_She doesn't remember. _

_But she knew my name_.

The second thought gives her a fresh spark of hope. Emma may not remember her but somehow a little piece of Regina is in Emma's new memories. Something told Emma her name. Somehow she knew her. Even in a land without memory Emma knew her name. Regina doesn't care what it takes. She will get to know this Emma and Henry. She will find a way to be part of their lives and hope that it is enough to make Emma remember her.

As Emma dabs at the small cut on her palm and places a plaster on it Regina notices that the blonde keeps flicking her gaze up to Regina's eyes. Regina offers a small smile as she sees the searching look in Emma's eyes. After three years she knows how to read Emma's eyes. They speak to her of eyes searching for an answer to a question they don't know how to ask. She can tell in Emma's eyes that some part of her remained with Regina. Emma just doesn't know why but she's looking at Regina and right now in this moment it's enough to give Regina hope.

_They're back again though Emma was expecting to see them tonight. After seeing the eyes in real life she knew they'd be back. Emma couldn't believe it when she saw those eyes today. She never imagined they'd be real. But they are. _

_Intense caramel eyes haunt her dreamworld. They're not the same. Normally they're harrowed by impending loss. Tonight they began that way and once again Emma couldn't help but wonder what put such a look of sorrow into such beautiful eyes. Now that she's seen them in real life Emma feels an even greater desire to soothe away that pain._

_If only she could figure out what those eyes are trying to tell her and why they're so damn sad. _

_Emma looks up at those eyes and searches. She searches for answers wondering if maybe tonight she'll figure out why it's Regina's eyes she's been seeing for the past year. It makes no sense to her because how could she know those eyes if they've never met? _

_The eyes shift to the expression she saw tonight. There's a flicker of hope before it disappears and falls back into a heart-breaking look of sorrow that Emma cannot figure out. Emma may not know much about this town but she knows that she never wants those eyes to be so sad again. She certainly never wants to be the cause. _

_The eyes recognise her and Henry. That much is certain. They give a flash of hope before shock hits. Then there's despair and pain. _

_There's always so much pain._

Emma wakes up in her strange new hotel room and rubs her eyes. Even after meeting Regina she cannot get those eyes out of her head. Yesterday she couldn't stop staring. She could hardly believe that the eyes that had haunted her were real. Now that she knows they are Emma feels an even greater pull. Something is tugging her closer to Regina but she doesn't know why.

All Emma knows for sure is that in a town that makes no sense Regina is the only person she actually feels calm around. Wherever she and Henry go there are always people staring as if they know her and it freaks her out. Yet when Regina looked at her with saddened recognition it didn't feel strange. It felt familiar and normal. It felt like a look she had seen many times before and ignored.

Seeing those eyes in reality has only given Emma more questions. Why were Regina's eyes in her dreams in the first place? How does she know Regina? Why is Regina the only person in this town that makes her feel at home?

Emma has no answers but she'll get them. She needs to know why that pirate brought her back here and who this family of hers is meant to be. Emma feels like it's all tied into Regina somehow, she just doesn't understand how. Storybrooke has been nothing but bizarre since she set foot in it but she still can't bring herself to leave. She thought about it but then she was hit by images of Regina's eyes filled with sadness and she couldn't do it.

She has to know why they are filled with such misery and why Emma feels like she's the only person who can fix it.

Emma knows the best way to find out is to spend more time with Regina Mills. She knows she can find the answers she needs in Regina. Emma wonders what she'll find. She can sense that it will be something amazing. She wishes she could remember what it was she seems to have forgotten. Emma rolls over reaching for her phone. She scrolls down to the newest number before dialling.

The mayor picks up on the first ring which surprises her. She assumed Regina would be busy but apparently not. Emma shrugs before speaking, "Hey Regina, it's me Emma Swan from the Diner."

There's a pause which sounds a lot like a hitched breath before the reply comes, "Hello Miss – Emma. How are you finding Storybrooke?" Emma frowns when she hears tears in the voice that echoes over the line. It saddens her to hear it.

"I haven't been really. Henry and I are new here and we don't really know the town."

"Oh…maybe you'd like a tour? I could show you two around if you'd like?"

"Are you sure?" Emma asks, "I mean aren't you busy as Mayor?"

"Storybrooke's a small town and surely it's my Mayoral duty to help new visitors?"

Emma smiles, "Sure. I'll see you later around noon?"

"Noon's great. See you then Emma."

* * *

Emma smiles as they wander around the town. So far Regina has taken her and Emma around the town, the pier and now the park. Throughout the day Emma has noticed Regina giving her those small hopeful glances and Emma can't help but wonder why. Clearly Regina wants Emma to recognise or remember something. Emma wishes she did if only so she could keep the hope in those eyes for a little bit longer.

Emma has quite enjoyed her trip through the town. It seems a nice enough place and something about it just seems to fit right. What Emma has enjoyed is Regina's company. She's found herself listening intently to the notes of Regina's voice and soaking up every word. On more than one occasion Emma found herself walking closer and closer to Regina. She doesn't know what it is, she just feels drawn to the brunette.

They walk along the path as Henry rambles on about Italian ice-cream. Regina and Henry are engrossed in their conversation so neither notice the Mayor about to slip. Emma does. She reaches forward grabbing Regina's arm to steady her.

As she does images assault her vision.

_Her hand helping Regina off a cold tiled floor. _

_Her hand on a black blazered sleeve surrounded by purple smoke. _

_Regina's eyes opening with a shocked gasp as her hand reaches for Emma's. _

_Regina's gloved hands covering her own as those warm caramel eyes look at it with that haunting sadness. _

Emma gasps quickly releasing Regina from her grasp. She mutters an apology before taking a step back. She runs her hand through her blonde curls as she processes these new flashes of memory. They don't make much sense to her. All they tell her for sure is that she definitely knows Regina and not just from her dreams.

_Thanks for reading :) _


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to the response to this fic so far. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Apologies for any mistakes and I hope you like this part :)_

Emma expects a restless sleep tonight. Those visions have been on her mind all day and she still can't quite figure out what's happening. She clearly knows Regina. She just doesn't remember how. That hurts. She knows that much. She wants more than just snippets of memories. She wants to remember Regina. She wants to take the sadness out of those eyes and replace it with happiness. Somehow Emma knows she can be the one to do that.

She just needs to remember. In the moment before she falls asleep she wishes that magic was real and could bring her back her memories. _Regina_ she thinks _just let me remember Regina_.

Emma wants to see more than just her eyes. She wants the whole memory not just the pain and loss shining in haunting caramel orbs. She wants to see Regina's face. Emma just wants to know. She needs to know because right now nothing makes much sense to her. The only time she feels any sense of calm or roots to Storybrooke is when she's with Regina. When she and Henry are with the Mayor she feels like she is at home.

It doesn't make a lot of sense even to Emma but right now Regina is the only person that makes her feel like she is where she is supposed to be.

Everyone else stares at her as if they know her. They stare at her with looks of hope that fall into disappointment and dejection. Emma hates it because she can do nothing to fix it. She cannot pretend to recognise them when she doesn't. They all look at her with expectation as if she could somehow save them and Emma can't understand it. She doesn't feel like she can save anyone except for Regina.

Regina's the only one she feels a desperate yearning to help. When she sees Regina's eyes her heart tears itself apart in her chest and begs her to do something, anything to give the brunette hope and happiness rather than sorrow.

This afternoon when she got those flashes she saw Regina's face light up for a split second. Then Emma had to take that away by shaking her head and letting her know she didn't remember everything. All she had were snapshots when she needs the whole moments.

Emma squeezes her eyes shut and hopes for her mind to show her what she wants most.

_The eyes are there._

_They always are._

_Emma dreads the day they are not because she needs them. She longs to solve the mysteries that lie in them and see them shine with happiness. She stares up at those intense and beautiful eyes and wonders. Even though she knows who they belong to all she sees are the eyes._

_Tonight is different._

_Tonight they do not hold that expression of impending loss and misery. Tonight they speak of a hidden longing. Words form in the haze of her dream._

_"I wish we had had a chance to know each other."_

_The voice is not her own and she recognises it as the enchanting lilt of Regina's. Her heart flutters at the voice and the words. She is not the only one who wishes they had had a chance. Lately Emma has been staring at those eyes and wondering when she'll get the chance to know the woman behind them._

_Now she realises that even when she did she didn't seize the opportunity to know Regina as well as she could have done. That realisation sends a fresh wave of pain through her heart._

_"Me too," Emma whispers to those eyes that look at her with a small shine of hope before falling back into longing. Emma wishes she had a zoom-out button so she could see where she and Regina were when this moment occurred._

_"Life is never that simple is it?" Regina asks. "Sometimes I wonder what would have been different if I hadn't threatened you or tried to drive you out of town."_

_So apparently I made a bad first impression the first time Emma thinks with a frown. "I don't know what would have happened but we wouldn't be the people we are now."_

_Regina sighs and Emma thinks she can hear a whistle of wind and the rustling of leaves. Her words in this dream are ones she doesn't recognise but clearly spoke once upon a time. At her reply Regina smiles slightly, "Do you like who I am now?"_

_"I do. You've worked hard to change and I'm proud to call you Henry's Mom and my friend."_

_Henry's MOM?! Emma blinks in surprise at the words that fall from her lips. They make those eyes light up with happiness and Emma can tell a smile is on the Mayor's face but they make no sense to her. In all of her memories and for all of Henry's she is his only mother. It has always just been her and Henry._

_Or has it?_

The next day Emma leaves Henry at the B&B with his assurances that he'll stay there except to go to the Diner for food and that he'll call her when he does. She's protective of him, more so in this town though she can't remember him ever getting in trouble or danger. Yet, in this town she can't help the way her protective instincts flare. She needs to know he's safe here.

She walks through the town before wandering over to the address Ruby, a waitress at the Diner, gave her for Regina. She hopes Regina won't mind her popping in but after her dream she needs to see the other woman. The words in the dream have only confused her further and she can't help but wonder if maybe long ago in the past she and Regina were together. The thought of being with Regina warms her heart and she can't help but smile at the idea of them as a couple.

What worries her is that she cannot remember.

If they were a couple then it would explain that look in Regina's eyes. It would explain the devastation at Emma's lack of recognition. It would explain the haunted look of longing and loss.

It gives as many answers as it does questions. If they were a couple why can't Emma remember anything concrete? Does Regina know Henry? And if so why do neither her nor Henry know Regina? And how could she have lost someone like Regina then forgotten her?

It seems impossible to her. Given how her heart flutters when she's with Regina and her desperation to ease the brunette's pain Emma just cannot understand how she would ever have let Regina go. She wants more than anything to remember their time together and to know why she forgot.

She's not sure she'll like the answer but she doesn't care so long as she remembers Regina again.

She wants to know the answer to the pull in her heart that guides her back to Regina each and every day they're in Storybrooke. She thinks she knows but she needs her memories to be sure. She needs her memories so can be Emma. Be the Emma from her dreams and the one Regina clearly knows and wishes is here.

There are moments when Emma wishes with her entire soul that she was that Emma.

Moments like when Regina opens the door with eyes full of hope and expectation only to see Emma still looking at her like someone new. Her eyes fall back into sadness before they sparkle with déjà vu. "Emma what brings you here this morning?"

Emma smiles. She may not be the Emma Regina knows but she can still be her and get to know Regina. As soon as she sees the Mayor her questions fall away. All of her uncertainty just disappears. In Regina's presence being here at the mansion just makes sense, so does being in Storybrooke. "Just wanted to see you I guess. You're pretty much my only friend here."

Regina frowns, "Are people not being friendly?"

"It's not that. They just stare and it creeps me out. They all look at me like I'm some big hero riding into town and it doesn't make any sense but with you….well even though you know me and clearly wish I knew you, you still hang around with me. You're still trying to get know me and be my friend and that tells me that I'm important to you. You try and I know that even though I can't remember I want to know you."

Regina smiles, "Well in that case, why don't you come in for a drink?"

_"….a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted."_

_A smirk followed by a vaguely inviting smile._

_A tumbler half-full with cider._

_A look of fear and confusion quickly replaced by a polite mask._

_The panic and doubt creeping through that mask no matter how hard the brunette tries to hide it._

_Henry running into the mansion._

_Her Bug crashed into a Welcome To Storybrooke sign._

"Emma?" Regina asks worriedly as she walks over to Emma who instead of answering her question gasped and remained frozen on her patio. "Emma?" she repeats placing her hand on Emma's arm. _She's remembering _Regina thinks hopefully as she sees a flicker of recognition in Emma's blue eyes. It's enough to keep that spark of hope alive in her heart. Finally Emma's eyes flicker before they focus on Regina. "We've done this before."

"What?"

"When we met. You invited me in for a drink."

"You remember?" Regina asks and her eyes shine with happiness for a split second before Emma frowns. "I remember that but it still doesn't make sense. I don't remember coming to Storybrooke. I don't remember anything but you Regina and I don't see how that's possible."

"Maybe I can help," Regina replies before beckoning for Emma to follow her into the house. Emma follows, her curiosity piqued as she wanders into the mansion. It all looks familiar and Emma knows without a doubt that she must have been in this house before. Her footsteps walk across a path they have before and there's a tingling in her mind like a ghost of a memory is trying to creep through but can't.

She wishes they would just burst through and let her remember.

She follows Regina through to the study before taking a seat on a plush sofa. Her muscles sink into the soft fabric and she smiles as she lets the sensation overwhelm her. Her body remembers this chair and she gets a flash of her own red leather against this cream sofa.

Her eyes open and she looks across the room to Regina. "So how can you help me?" she asks. Regina bites her lip nervously, something she has seen Henry do many times but never understood, before she slides a book across the coffee table. Emma takes it before giving Regina a curious look, "Fairytales?"

"Just give it a read," Regina pleads. Her tone and that desperate look in her eyes is enough to make Emma say yes.

_Thanks for reading :) _


	4. Chapter 4

_Final chapter. I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes. Thanks to archeomedic for the prompt. Hope you like this part :)_

Emma waits until Henry falls asleep before pulling out the book Regina gave her. She almost said no to Regina wondering how on earth fairytales could possibly help her. It was Regina's eyes that made her say yes. They were desperate and pleading and Emma knew that the other woman was pinning her hopes on this book. She couldn't say no to that brief glimmer of hope.

Now she just has to hope it works too. She wants so desperately to remember and if these fairy stories are somehow connected she has to try.

She places her hands on the book tracing the golden script with her thumb. "Once Upon A Time," she whispers. She smiles as she remembers saying those words to Henry countless times when reading him to bed. He always used to beg her for another story and was fascinated with Snow White which Emma could never understand.

As she smiles nostalgically she flips the book open and once more flashes of vision assault her.

_Regina on her desk with a hot and smug look on her face. Legs crossed over each other as a skirt rides up them. A glint of triumph and lust in dark eyes as Emma walked in before the next power play began._

_Henry lying still on a hospital bed. Regina sobbing and whimpering "No" over and over. Leaning over to place a kiss on her son's forehead and whispering "I love you Henry" for the first time. A flash of light and he's awake. _

_A wraith. A jail cell and a hat. Falling through a portal and thanking god she'd been able to save Regina. _

_A night under the stars. Happiness and hope twinkling in brown eyes before shifting to dejection. A feeling of disappointment and regret. A desire to run after her that is not given into. _

_Tears shining in Regina's eyes as she says goodbye to their son, a trigger glowing impossibly bright in her hands. "You may not be strong enough but we are." _

_Their son safe in their arms once more. Warm joyous caramel meeting her own over Henry's head. A feeling of family and incomparable happiness. The happiest Emma has ever seen Regina be. _

_Goodbye. Those haunting sad eyes staring at her begging her to take care of their son and herself. A moment wherein Emma almost confesses and Regina too is on the brink of saying something. A painful tug in her heart as they wander what might have been. Gloved hands holding her own all too briefly before they part. _

_Tears of loss and sorrow that Emma would keep in her mind with her even when everything else was lost._

Emma reads through the whole book. She reads it twice. With each new page and story comes a new memory and she almost sobs in relief as the world she forgot returns to her piece by piece. Throughout it all she sees Regina's eyes.

She reads the book and wonders how it can be so incomplete. There's nothing about Daniel or the pain Regina went through as queen. Nothing about Rumple's manipulations or the fact that the Blue Fairy ignored her countless wishes as a young girl. _Only the victors tell the stories_. Anton told her that once and she nearly didn't believe him. Then she remembered how true that was. Even then she knew that the stories written by good say nothing of the pain endured by the villains.

She knows that in her story they will write about her return and her time as Savior. Her pain and past as a foster kid will be one sentence lost in a sea of words. Her story would be centred around the good she did or was a part of.

This book for Regina however centres around her evil. It fixates on the paths chosen not what led to people going down those paths in the first place. For those on the side of good that works in their favour. For those like Regina it doesn't. Henry read this book over and over. Emma remembers that he is rarely without it. She wishes that wasn't true.

She can see how a book like this can make a child see his mother only as an evil character. It's a skewed influence and it destroyed the relationship between mother and son. It made Henry see his Mom in only one way. He didn't see the good or the pain just what the book said.

That is the problem when you only have pieces. Emma only had eyes and could not remember everything she was missing. Henry only had this book and didn't see who his mother was beyond that. Emma wishes he had. She wishes she had too and sooner before Pan's curse, before Cora, before everything.

Now though the pieces are fitting together like one beautiful jigsaw puzzle and Emma knows she can't waste any more time. For nearly a year she has been haunted by misery-filled eyes and she needs that to change. She wants to see those eyes light up with happiness and hope and she wants to be the reason they do.

She falls asleep holding the book in her arms and thinking of Regina's eyes. Even when she was meant to forget Emma still had a piece of Regina with her. Her heart kept Regina the whole time and made sure she could never truly forget her. She hates that she forgot as much of Regina as she did and she'll never let it happen again.

_She sees eyes again but this time they're different. In this vision there's no sadness. Just a sleepy smile and a glint of happiness. Emma can feel soft sheets wrapped around her body and the heat of Regina's skin against her own. _

_Brunette curls tumble across the otherwise blank whiteness of the dream and Emma smiles as she feels them tickle her cheek from where Regina lays so close to her. Her hands are drawing random circles up and down Regina's back and she hears the woman in her arms humming contently. _

_Emma kisses the top of Regina's head before looking down into those warm caramel eyes. They're clear of that sleepy haze and now radiate pure joy. _

_"How did I get here?" Emma asks. Normally her dreams are haunted by sorrow and loss. Tonight is not a memory and she knows that. _

_The dream Regina smiles, "That's up to you. Find me. Tell me and maybe I'll come true." _

Emma wakes up with a bright smile. She leaves Henry sleeping in the bed peacefully before finding Ruby. She grins in recognition at her best friend who pulls her into a joyous hug. "Em you're back!"

"I was back before," Emma points out.

"But now you're back back," Ruby replies, "Where are you off to now?" she asks with a knowing smile.

"I need to find Regina," Emma replies. Her parents are next on her list and she will find them once she's found Regina. Right now she needs to take her chance. She wasted far too much time thinking there would be tomorrow to tell Regina how she feels. She won't anymore.

Ruby nods, "I'll watch Henry. Go."

It's all the encouragement Emma needs and she takes off for the mansion at rapid speed. It's early but she hopes Regina won't care. Emma walks up the path fidgeting nervously with her hands. Like before she's drawn to Regina but this time she knows why. Her heart hums in excited anticipation as she rings the doorbell.

Regina pulls it open wiping the sleep from her eyes. She's still in her pyjamas and her hair is slightly mussed but Emma doesn't care. All that matters to her is that Regina is right here. At the town line a year ago she thought she was never going to see the brunette again but they're both here and she finally remembers.

All Emma has to do is grin and say, "Nice bedhead Madam Mayor," and Regina knows. A bright smile dances across her features and she suddenly pulls Emma in for a hug. Emma can feel a tear roll down Regina's cheek and onto her bare shoulder. She holds Regina tight as the brunette buries her face in Emma's shoulder.

"It's really you," Regina cries happily. She said those words once before to a long lost love only to lose him soon after. This time will be different. She knows that. Emma remembers and she's not going anywhere.

"It's really me," Emma replies as she takes a step back. She tilts Regina's head up so she can see those eyes that stayed with her throughout it all. "You were always with me."

"What? You didn't remember," Regina says in confusion.

"I didn't but I knew your eyes. For a year all I dreamt of was your eyes that day at the town line. I was haunted by the sadness in them. I didn't know why but I knew I wanted to heal your pain. I knew I wanted to see them shine with happiness instead of misery. Now I know why. My heart kept you with me so that when the time came I would find my home again."

Regina smiles, "And your home is here?"

"I'd like it to be," Emma replies, "I love you Regina Mills and god do I wish I had told you that sooner."

Regina chuckles before pulling Emma in for a kiss. It starts slow before growing in love and eagerness as the two women grow more confident in their touches. Emma pulls Regina closer to her as Regina threads her fingers through blonde curls. Their bodies hum with joy as they hold each other and kiss. As they do a flash of light rings through the town but neither notice simply too engrossed with each other to be aware of anything else.

"I love you too," Regina says when they finally part.

Emma grins as she continues holding Regina in her arms. Regina's eyes stare at her full of love and joy and that's the way Emma hopes they will always stay.

* * *

(A Month Later)

Emma wakes up with a smile as she feels warm sheets wrapped around her and Regina's skin pressed flush against her own. She recognises this scene as the one from her dream and grins. She doesn't dream of Regina's eyes as often now but they're still there. Now though she gets to see them light up with joy.

Their kiss returned their son's memories and since that day the three have them have been living in the mansion. Emma finally found her home and she's so glad Regina's eyes brought her back here. Henry has been filling Regina in on their time in New York and whilst Emma knows New York life was simpler and easier she'd much rather be here with her family.

Brunette curls tickle her chin as they always do when she wakes up. Regina likes to sleep with her head tucked into Emma's shoulder and Emma loves it. She gets to watch Regina's face as she sleeps and see the love of her life look so utterly peaceful.

Regina hums in her sleep as Emma runs her fingers up and down Regina's back – Emma's way of rousing the brunette.

There's a sleepy smile as Regina wakes up slowly before flickering her eyes open. "I love you," Emma says kissing Regina tenderly. Regina kisses her back before settling back down onto Emma's chest, "Hm I love you too."

Emma looks down at Regina's eyes full of sleep and love and knows there's no other sight she'll ever want to wake up to.

_Thanks for reading :) _


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